Limitations of Constructivism

social constructs / context (ontologically):

• political science is about understanding complex interconnected meanings rather than discovering changing truths.

• The limitations of constructivism arise from its reliance on subjective interpretations of reality, which can lead to inconsistencies in understanding across different cultures and contexts.

• Additionally, the emphasis on individual or group perspectives may overlook the role of objective realities that exist independently of social constructs.

• In AI, this limitation becomes evident when algorithms are trained on biased data, reflecting the subjective views of their creators rather than an objective understanding of the world.

• this leads to societal inequalities

context and perception (epistemologically):

• which can reinforce existing power dynamics and marginalize underrepresented voices, ultimately hindering equitable access to information and resources.

• in relation to AI, the limitations of constructivism become particularly evident as algorithms may perpetuate biases present in training data, thus exacerbating disparities and failing to account for diverse perspectives.

open-ended and dynamic (methodologically):

• less rigorous than positivist approaches

• decision-makers prefer quantitative data over qualitative data.

• methods should take a pluralistic / holistic approach to political research because they allow for a more comprehensive understanding of complex social phenomena, incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences that quantitative methods alone may overlook.